"And for that purpose, the Republic of Serbia allocates significant funds from the state budget. Especially when it comes to preserving the cultural treasures of national and religious minorities. Unfortunately, in Kosovo-Metohija, the territory of Serbia that is under the control of the UN, NATO and the Provisional Institutions in Pristina, legal and physical violence against the cultural heritage of the Serbian people has been taking place for 25 years. From the attempt to declare the monasteries of the Serbian Orthodox Church as cultural heritage of the Albanian people, to their physical destruction", Maric said.

He pointed out that with the arrival of NATO (KFOR) soldiers on 12 June 1999, 125 churches and monasteries, as well as dozens of Orthodox cemeteries, were damaged or completely destroyed in Kosovo-Metohija.

"In only three days in March 2004, 35 Christian churches and cultural monuments of the first category were set on fire and destroyed. The Church of the Holy Virgin of Ljevis, an endowment of the Serbian King Milutin from 1306, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, still stands burned and surrounded by barbed wire. The Monastery of the Holy Archangels, an endowment of the Serbian Emperor Dusan from 1331, was set on fire and mined. The Monastery Visoki Decani, also on the UNESCO list, an endowment of the Serbian King Stefan from 1335, is guarded by NATO soldiers.

About 16,000 frescoes, icons and other church relics were destroyed in these temples, as well as books of baptisms and deaths that testify to the centuries-old existence of Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija. Icons and other church valuables were looted and resold by Albanian extremists and NATO soldiers.

Not a single perpetrator of these crimes has been prosecuted or punished.

After the arrival of NATO, 200,000 Serbs were expelled from Kosovo-Metohija, and 555 of them were killed.

The only way for Serbs and their cultural heritage to be protected is for Serbia to return its sovereignty in Kosovo-Metohija or at least to set up the Community of Serb Municipalities, in accordance with the Brussels Agreement signed in 2013, the implementation of which Pristina persistently avoids.

Instead of punishing this behaviour, the hypocritical West first rewarded the authorities in Pristina by recognising the fake state of Kosovo, and now they will accept them into the Council of Europe.

The Republic of Serbia stands for peace, development of good relations with all neighbouring countries, respecting the UN Charter and international law and fair punishment of all crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia, not only crimes committed by Serbs.

"Serbia will continue to carefully preserve the cultural heritage of all the peoples who live in it, but appeals to other countries, the UN, the EU and NATO to protect the Serbian people and the Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo-Metohija," said Maric.